Ethics and Political Philosophy

Code:

MFIL048

Acronym:

EFP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Philosophy

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
E-learning page:	https://moodle.up.pt/
Responsible unit:	Department of Philosophy
Course/CS Responsible:	Masters in Philosophy

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MFIL	14	study plan	1	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

1.To consolidate and to develop the knowledge and skills acquired during the first cycle of studies in Ethics andPolitical Philosophy.
2.To understand the conceptual framework that underlies contemporary discussions about Ethics and PoliticalPhilosophy.
3.To develop a critical reflection on different theoretical references and conceptual connections in this area ofknowledge and field of research.

Learning outcomes and competences

The apprehension and consolidation of knowledge assumes the theoretical presentation of philosophical themes and their discussion with the students, so as to question and interpret the knowledge and skills described in the Unit syllabus. This implies the deployment of theoretical knowledge in order to create an autonomous reflection, conducive to the development of relevant skills of analysis, argumentation, and problematization.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Not applicable.

Program

1. Ethics and Political Philosophy in the contemporary world
1.1. Ethics and Political Philosophy: monist and dualist theories
1.2. The “Political” in philosophy: delimitations of the “political field”
1.3. “Politics” in philosophy: conceptual confluences and divergences
1.4. Critique of modern political reason
1.5. Ethics and Politics in democratic societies
2.1 Liberty, Power and Violence
2.2. Ethics in the public sphere
2.3. Politics of recognition and identity
3. Fundamental questions of contemporary Ethics and Political Philosophy
3.1. Between conflict and consensus: practical reason and communicative reason (J. Habermas)
3.2. Evil as the absence of thought and totalitarianism as radical evil (Hannah Arendt)
3.3. The good as rationality and justice as a good (J. Rawls)

Mandatory literature

Alain; Essai sur la Conscience du Mal, Hatier, 1995
Alves, João L. (org.); Ética e o Futuro da Democracia, SPF – Edições Colibri, 1994
José Luis L. Aranguren; Etica y política
Luís de Araújo; Sob o signo da ética. ISBN: 972-8594-09-7
Luís de Araújo; Ética. ISBN: 978-972-27-1881-3
Hannah Arendt; Homens em tempos sombrios. ISBN: 972-708-150-9
Arendt, Hannah; Considérations Morales, Payot – Rivages, 1996
Hannah Arendt; A^condição humana. ISBN: 972-708-637-3
Arendt, Hannah; Compreensão e Política e Outros Ensaios, Relógio D'Água, 2001
Jurgen Habermas; The theory of communicative action. ISBN: 0-7456-0386-6
John Rawls; Uma^teoria da justiça. ISBN: 972-23-1715-3
Jean-Paul Resweber; Le questionnement éthique. ISBN: 2-87601-160-3
Peter Singer; Como havemos de viver? A ética numa época de individualismo
Monique Canto-Sperber; Dictionnaire d.éthique et de philosophie morale. ISBN: 2-13-047729-1

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical exposition of the syllabus contents, text analysis, presentation and discussion of (individual and / orgroup) research papers, under the supervision of the teacher, about one of the proposed themes.

keywords

Humanities > Philosophy > Ethics
Humanities > Philosophy

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	25,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho de investigação	120,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	1,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Not Applicable.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final graderesults from the weighted arithmetical average of all assessment elements: participation in class (25%); critical reviewsof suggested readings (25%); final research paper, with presentation (50%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not Applicable.

Internship work/project

Not Applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Accordingly to the assessment regulations.

Classification improvement

Possible improvement in the classification by oral exam.

Observations

Not Applicable.